Percussion mechanism for explosive projectiles.



El. W. COLEMAN. PERCUSSION MECHANISMIUR EXPLOSIVE'PROJECTILES.

APPLlcAoN FILED Auml. 191s. 1,216,078.

Patented Feb. 13, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l. 24, F/G. V

E. W. COLEMAN. PERCUSSION MECHANISNI FOR EXPLOSIVE PROJECTILES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.2l, 1916- Patented Feb. 13, 1917.

l 216 O78. 7 s SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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C/M/W www# y E. W- COLEMAN.

PERCUSSION MECHANISM FOR EXPLOSIVE PROJECTILES. APPLICATION FILED AuG.2I. 191e.

192116,78, Patented Feb.13,1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

v SIII Ii"\\\\\` allow the latter to strike EDWARD WILLIAM COLEMAN, 0F LONDON, ENGLAND.

' PERCUSSION MECHNISM FOR EXPLOSIVE PROJECTIIJES.

To aZZ whom z' may concern.'

Be it known that.. I, EDWARD WILLIAM COLEMAN, a subject of the King of the Brit- `ish Dominicus, residing at London, `England, have invented certain new and `useful Improvements in Percussion Mechanism for Explosive Projectiles, of which the followin is a specification'. v v his invention relates toa safety percusslon mechamsm for hand grenades,

bombs and thelike, and has for its object,

to provide a device for tiring the caps or detonators with certainty on n'n'pact` at any angle, thus obviating the necessity of a time The said safety percussion' mechanism chieiiy comprises a sear or similar device adapted to lock' the striking pin in itsi cocked position and to release thesame in consequence of the impact of the bomb with a vresistingcbodyba Vsafety pin which normally secures the sear inl its locking positionV and releases it when. the projectile is launched, such releasing action being produced automatically, for instance by means of a vane caused to revolve by the Hight of the projectile through lthe air, -or by the shock of the dischargeof the shell in a firearm, or by the launching of a hand grenade or of a bomb, and a ball weight connected with the sear by a flexible cord or other flexible mem so that the pull on the cord produced by theinertia of the ball, when the projectile strikes a resisting body, will disengage the sear from the striking pin and the percussion cap or detonator.

In the following description reference will be made to the accompanying drawings, of whichi Figure 1 is a partial section of a three inch shell or trench-mortar shell tted with a safety catch percuion mechanism em` bodyingmy invention and showing an example of construction;

Fig. 2 is a transverse'section along line A-B of Fig. 1 showing the mechanism ready for action, and

Fig. 3 shows the same nism has operated. j

' Figs. 4 to,13 represent modications.v

In Figs. 1 to" 3, 1 indicates a casing or sleeve which is secured to the shell-body and after the mecha- Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb, 13, 1917, Application led August 21, 1916. Serial No. 116,137.

serves to hold van inner casing to .which the mechanism is fitted; 3 is a bedplate or partition formed in the casing 2 and supporting the mechanism.

4 indicates a crank lever mounted on a pivot 5 and shaped at one end, so as to form a sear 13, adapted to` support or hold up the strikin ready or action.

'60 pin 12, when the mechanism is set..

6 indicates agravity ball connected with the other end 7 of the crank?v lever 4 by means of a cord :or iiexible mem- .ber 21, guided through anopening in the partition 3. 8 indicates a shouldenformed on the striking pin 12 and vadapted to rest on the sear 13 or on the spring 9; 9 indicatesl l an upright' flat spring whichfis forced by the Sear 13 under the shoulder 8, when the mechanism' is set. The said .spring is ixed at one end to a bracket 10, mounted on the y partition 3 by screwsy 11; 12 indicates vthe striking pin, which is guided through an axial opening in the closing cap 23 and an axial opening in the partition 3, and is subject to the downward pressure of acoiled spring 16, through the intermediary .of a washer 17 and a pin 18. f

The part 14 of the `striking pin, which extends from the shoulder upward and is guided in the closing cap 23, has Hat sides, to prevent the pin from turning on its axis.

The upper end or boss 15 of the striking pin, which adjoins the flat part 14 is provided with a screw thread and carries the internally threaded boss of the helically inclined vanes or wings 24. i

The threaded portion of the boss 15 has a longitudinal groove adapted to receivev a safety pin 20 fixed at its lower end to the pin' 20 is prevented by the wing i will cause the wing body 24 to'turn on its i axis, and at the same time to recede upward, thereby' automatically releasing the pm 20, so that the latter is allowed tovfollow the shell; 27 the detonator holder, 28 the pow der chamber and 29 the ypercussion. cap holder.

For setting the mechanism described above, the striking pin 12 is pulled up, a setting pin (not shown) is introduced through an opening in the side of the sleeve 1 and casing 2, for pressing the spring 9 against the striking pin -12 below7 the shoulder 8 of the Same, when the safety pin 20, attached to the crank lever which also carries the Sear, is pressed by hand sidewise into the longitudinal groove of the threaded portion of the striking pin, .thereby placing the sear underneath the shoulder 8 of the striking pin and compressing the spring 9u Afterward the vane body 24 is screwed on to the boss 15, so as to occupy the position shown by Fig. ,1, in which it prevents the pin 20 and consequently the sear 13 and gravity ball 6 from moving. 1 i

The motion of the bomb or shell through the air unscrews the vane body until it gets clear of the safety pin 20, and renders the latter free to move sidewise when the gravity -vball comes into operation in consequence of the impact of the shell with a resisting body. The motion of the said ball then pulls the crank lever carrying the sear from under the shoulder of the striking pin, the tension of the'spring 2 helps to force the sear free of the said shoulder, and the striking pin is now free to move forward under the pressure of the coiled firing spring 16.

The modification represented by Fig. 44 has for its object to dispense with the use of f vanes or wings. The gravity ball 6 is held in a cup-shaped seating30, fixed to the partition orbed-plate 3, and is connected with the crank lever 4 by a cord 21 passing'r through a hole of the cup 30. The crank" lever 4 isnormally held in position by a spring attached to a slidable weight 31, guided in a. sleeve 32, fixed to the underside of4 the partition 3.

A ball weight supported by a cup mount` ed on the partition 3 may also be usedf in the mechanism according to Fig. 1, instead of a suspended ball. In both cases the ball' is connected vwith the crank lever 4 by Ia flexible cord.

The mechanism shown in Fig. 4 is used by first withdrawing a locking pin 33, so as to release the weight, after which the shock of discharge-of the shell causes the Figs. 6 and 7 represent details of con-A struction" of lthe same. 4 indicates again the crank lever, 34 a spring ,operated safety pin for releasing the crank lever 4, the said pin being inserted throughlthlosing cap 36 and having'a spring 35 vattached to the' y prongs at the head of the split pin 34,`\w'h1le the lower end of the said spring' 35 rests on the cap.

A spring band 37 is hooked at'onevend to theside of the casing of the mechanism,

it passes over the cap 36, and extends downI the side of the hand grenade, and is secured to the side of the casing of the mechanism .y

by a cotter or split pin38 provided with a ring (not y shown)` to facilitate its Withdrawal. Theobject of the said band isi to compress the spring 35 leasing'pin 34.

When the Cotter pin 38 lis withdrawn, the

spring band, bieing under tension, turns of the `safety reover on its hooked extremity, thus releasing' the s afety pin 34,l which is now forcedupi ward bythe spring 35, thus 'leaving the mechanismfree to Work on impact.

Figkvbgw-is a 'horizontal section through the'y casing-above the striking pin, and Fig. 7 'c a horizontal section below the striking pin,

showingsa device for securing the detonator or firing cap in position. A metal disk 39 is secured 'to'..the upper part of the hand grenade, and is provided with a hinged cover 40 forsecuring the cap or detonator `in its position.

Fig. 8 shows a modification of the vane or `wing-body for freeing the mechanism when fitted to an aeroplane bomb.

41 is an upward extensionofthe striking pin at the end of the screwed boss, to limit the upward motion of the vane-body by means of lan enlargedA head 42 formed on the extension 41. The bow of the vanes has a hollow extension 43 to cover and protect the end-of the striking pin.- A pin 44 is inserted through the side of the boss of the.

vane,'to vlimit the upward motion of the same by abutting against the head of the striking pin.

45 indicates the usual locking pin.

Fig. 9 is a horizontal section of thestriking pin and vane-body shown in Fig. 8. It shows the vertical groove for the upright safety pin attached to the crank lever, and also the perforation for the pin and the ordinary releasing pin 45. Fig. 10 shows a modification of the device shown in Fig. 5.

It represents a. locking or freeing safety swiveling pin for hand grenades, and com-` prises a spring pin 47, to be inserted instead of the pin 34 for'locking the crank lever.

Instead of a spring band 37, a specially shaped handle 48`is used, which is pivoted to the upper end of the pin 47 and held by the fingers, when the grenade is thrown, thereby pulling the safety pin 47 and allowing the crank lever to move, when the grenade strikes a resisting body.

49 indicates a spring fixed to the end of the safety pin 47 and adapted to lock the handle 48 to the said pin, until the projectile is to be thrown.

Fig. 1l is an axial section of the nose of a shell provided with a percussion device, which is made ready for action by a special device, which normally locks the Sear and is operated by the shock of the discharge in a gun.

Fig. 12 is a plan of the scar, and

Fig. 13 a transverse section along line C-D of Fig. 11.

In its normal position the sear lever 4 is locked by a pin 50 which extends through the partition 3 and is caused to rest with its widened base vupon a transverse pin 51 by a spring 52.

The pin 51 has a circular groove, into which projects the extremity of a pin 53 attached to a weight 54 which is guided in a conical recess 55 and rests on a spring 56. The said pin 51 extends across the recess 55 and has a piston-shaped base 57 pressed outward by a spring.

The piston-shaped weight 54 is locked in its position by a key 58.

Immediately before loading the gun .the key 58 is withdrawn, and when subsequently the propelling charge is fired the inertia of the weight 54 causes4 the same to lag behind, so as to compressthe spring 56 firing pin and and to withdraw the pin 53 from the groove.

of the pin 57. The latter is now drawn out of the recess 55 by the pressure of the spring on the piston 57 and allows the locking pin 50 to move downward under the pressure of the spring 52, thereby releasing the sear lever 4, so that the latter is only held by the cord or ilexible member 21, which acts when the projectile strikes.

What I claim is 1. A safety percussion mechanism for explosive projectiles, comprising in its construction a striking pin adapted to ire the igniting charge, a device adapted to lock the striking pin in its cocked position, a ball-weight adapted to move relatively to the shell-body in consequence of its inertia, when the projectile is stopped by a resisting body, and a flexible member connecting the ball-weight with the said locking device and adapted to set the latter in motion,

so as torelease thcvstrikin'gfpin, 'substanj struction a devicev adapted to retain the.l

striking pin inits cocked position, asafety device adapted to secure the said retaining device in its locking position and to be set out of action, when the projectile is launched, a ball-weight adapted to move relatively to the shell-body in consequence of its inertia, when the projectile is stopped by a resisting body, and a flexible member connecting the ball-weight with the said retaining device, so as to release the striking pin, `when the ball-weight is set in motion, substantially as described.

3. Aisafety percussion mechanism for explosive' projectiles, comprising in its construction a striking pin adapted to fire the igniting charge, a sear spring and sear adapted to lock the firing pin in its cocked position,` a crank-lever carrying the scar, a ball-weight adapted to move relatively to the shell-body in consequence of the impact of the projectile, and a iexible member connecting the ball-weight with the crank lever and adapted to set the latter in motion, so

as to release the firing pin, substantially as described.

4.` A safety percussion mechanism for explosive projectiles, comprising in its construction a striking pin adapted to fire the igniting charge, a device adapted to lock the striking pin in its cocked position, a ball-weight adapted to move relatively to the shell-body in consequence of its inertia, when the projectile strikes a resisting body, a cup-like support for the ball-weight, and a flexible member connecting the ballweight with the said locking device and adapted to set the latter in motion for releasing the striking pin, substantially as described.

5. In a percussion mechanism for explosive projectiles having 'a firing pin movable in the axis of the projectile, the combination of a firing pin with a sear forming part of, lever movable in a plane at right angles to the axis of the proje tile, a vanebody mounted on a prolongatidn of the firing pin by a screw-thread, and a locking -pm Ixed at one end to the sear lever and extending outward from the same parallel to the axis, the said prolongation having in its circumference an axial recess adapted 'to receive the said, locking pin, substantially as described. Y

6. In a percussion mechanisrmior explosive projectiles having a firing pin movable in the axis of the projectile, the combination of a firing pin having an outward extension provided with a screw-thread having a longitudinal groove, witff a sear forming part of a lever movable in a plane at right angles to the axis, a vane-body my hand in presence .of two subscribing mfilmted on the said screw-thread and made Witnesses.

ho ow to form a cap over the said extension, and aA locking pin fixed at one end to EDWARD WILLIAM CLEMAN' the Sear-lever and extending outward into Witnesses:

the said groove, substantially as described. J. WETTER,

A In testimony whereof I have hereunto set P. R. KNIGHT.

Copiel ot this patent may be obtained for ive cents each, by addressing the Commissione; 'of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

